“Several fires” are said to still be raging on the Greek cargo ship. So far, however, there are no signs of an oil leak, says the EU’s Aspides operation.
The rescue operation of the Greek oil tanker MV Sounion is about to begin in the Red Sea, Aspides, the EU’s military operation that protects shipping in the Red Sea, says.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked cargo ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s attack on Gaza, and the MV Sounion, a crude oil carrier, was damaged in an attack in late August. The oil tanker has been on fire since then, and Aspides’ statement on Monday confirms that “several fires” are still raging on board.
The Pentagon, the US Ministry of Defense, has previously estimated that Sounion’s cargo is up to one million barrels, or more than 150,000 tons of crude oil. However, according to a recent statement by Aspides, no visible signs of an oil leak have been detected so far.
However, the tanker rescue operation is expected to be challenging. If oil were to leak from the ship during the towing operation, the incident would have the potential to be one of the largest oil spills originating from a ship in history.
– Due to the large amount of crude oil it transports, MV Sounion poses a significant environmental threat. Private companies are involved in the rescue operation that is about to start, Aspides says in the message service X.
A source familiar with the matter tells the news agency Reuters that the tugboats are already ready for the tanker’s rescue tasks. The purpose is either to tow the ship to a safe port, or transfer the crude oil carried by the ship to another ship.
According to the source, the operation will be allowed to start when the last on-site inspections have been completed.
Source: Reuters